An iconic Meirionnydd building which once housed a millionaire and changed the lives of hundreds of students will feature in an S4C programme this Sunday.

On 19 January, Coleg Harlech will feature on Waliau’n Siarad.

In the programme, Aled Hughes and Sara Huws trace the building’s remarkable history through the stories of people who studied and worked there and through old photographs and items from the archive.

In a conversation with Aled on the college site, Gwyn Jones from Plas Glyn y Weddw shares memories of his time at college in the 1990s.

“I knew after seven years of working in jobs I didn’t want to do, on low pay and so on, that I wanted to go back to learning.

“And this was sort of an access course to get into university. It changed my life,” said Gwyn.

Sara is amazed at the murals of Welsh cultural and industrial life painted in the 1930s and still visible in the old common room.

She also hears about the striking architecture of the place and the fire that nearly destroyed it in 1968.

The Great Hall of the building was burnt down, but the groundbreaking Theatr Ardudwy building was built on the site and opened in 1974.

Waliau’n Siarad: Coleg Harlech, is on Sunday, 19 January at 8pm on S4C.

English subtitles available, and the show is available to watch on-demand at S4C Clic and iPlayer.

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online now